Fort Worth, TX
December 11, 2019
Today I moved on from Paris to DFW, a roughly 90 mile drive. You would think with a speed limit of 75 mph, I would have made the trip in under two hours. Not when there are things to see along the way!
Before I left Paris, I got some final photos.
Inspiration hit me when I drove by this Paris park:
There were some beautiful old houses I had missed:
Then it was on the road to Dallas. And the road delivered some interesting names of places:
First, a town named Ben Franklin.
Pecan Gap was only five miles away: And there were plenty of pecan trees.
Winning a state title in Texas must be a huge accomplishment. If you had seen this state of this town, you would realize what they must have meant to this community.
Post offices are such an easy target for photographs. They say so much. It's sad that so many have been closed (sorry for the passive voice).
How would you pronounce this town's name?
North Texas is flat - not quite like the Mississippi Delta but flat. And there are lots of cattle. Some will even stare you down.
I've been to Texas, Georgia. Now I've been to Nevada, Texas. I assume there must be a Georgia, Nevada? Stay tuned; I'm on the case.
Dallas is a big city - much bigger and busier than it was 30 years ago. They still have awesome fajitas.
While in the Big D, I stopped by a certain store with vines. As I paid for my purchase, the young man - who I assume was from Highland Park High School by all appearances (granted, I wonder why a Highland Park kid would be working) - asked my name. I told him, and in a case of "wow, you just said that?" he said, "That's an awesome freaking name." He saw I was from Virginia and added "Man, you are a long way from home." Poor kid has led a sheltered existence if the 1,200 miles between Dallas and Charlottesville is a long way.
It felt strange (I would almost use a word I don't like to use "very") to be in the showy affluence of Dallas after what I have seen. No place I know does showy affluence better than the Big D.
With the idea of being a long way from home, how about a little Supertramp? From 40 years ago. Wow.